PAT CAPUTO: When it comes to Red Wings all-time greats, Nicklas Lidstrom was simply the best WITH VIDEO

When athletes complete their career, the statistics and accomplishments are there for everyone to judge.

By those measures, Red Wings' defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, who is expected to announce his retirement today, is one of the greatest hockey players ever.

He won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman seven times. Only Bobby Orr won it more. Lidstrom was a first-team NHL All-Star 10 times, second-team twice. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings teams, the last serving as captain. He played 20 years in the NHL. The Red Wings didn't miss the playoffs any of those seasons. In the 2006 Olympics, Lidstrom not only led his native Sweden to a gold medal victory, he scored the game-winning goal during the third period of the championship game.

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Yet, what stood out about Lidstrom could not be measured merely by facts and figures.

In an era of head hunters and cheap shot artists, nobody was more effective at controlling the flow of a hockey game.

It was never about the big hit with Lidstrom. He'd ride a player out of the play, usually whisking the puck from him and moving it to a teammate zipping toward the other end of the ice before many people would even notice.

There is this enduring vision of Lidstrom, crossing over as he skated backwards along the blue line on the power play. He had this knack for unloading the puck at just the right time, whether it was rocketing it into the corner of the net, or creating complete and total havoc in front of the goalie by merely flicking the puck through legs and bodies.

So many times, when confronted with odd-man rushes up the ice, Lidstrom would break plays up by making the split-second decision on whether to play the pass or the shooter at just the right instant.

He proved to be a tremendous captain for the Red Wings, filling the skates of Steve Yzerman after he retired in 2006, which seemed to be an impossible task.

Leaders are sometimes defined by their expression. For Yzerman, it was a frown, a stare and terse words that were few in number and low in volume, but loud in meaning. Lidstrom seldom changed his expression. Win. Lose. Pain. Joy. Same expression.

He always said the right things publicly. He never ducked questions from the media, but his matter-of-fact answers were like his play -- to the point. He carried such respect in the Red Wings' dressing room, that nobody was willing to let him down.

It was always about example with Lidstrom. The first time he said he was going to do something was the last. He was the type of player who just did it right with unrelenting consistency for two decades.

He won the Norris Trophy in 2011, but his brilliance really came through the season before when he was, for the only time in his career, at the epicenter of controversy.

The phone lines on sports talk radio were lit up as the Red Wings seemed to have their first round series with Phoenix at home in hand, but were unexpectedly routed in Game 6 at Joe Louis Arena by the Coyotes.

With Game 7 in Phoenix, the Red Wings appeared done. It was an odd season for the Red Wings. At one point, nine of their 18 regular skaters were out with injuries. They had to turn to then-rookie Jimmy Howard because multiple Stanley Cup-winning goalie Chris Osgood was hurt. It was iffy if the Red Wings would even reach the playoffs deep into the season before they surged in March.

On top of it, it was an Olympic year. Lidstrom played for Sweden in the Olympics in Vancouver, in addition to playing all 82 games for the depleted Red Wings. Instead of being saluted for his performance that season, fans were constantly complaining that Lidstrom was too old, and was hurting the team, especially after the Game 6 loss to Phoenix.

In Game 7 of that series, Lidstrom had two goals and an assist as the Red Wings won. He was one day shy of his 40th birthday.

This past season, he was the key player as the Red Wings roared to an NHL record 23-game home winning streak. Then, he took a shot off his foot, went out of the lineup and never seemed fully recovered. It was the key injury for the Red Wings, who were beaten in the opening round by Nashville. Lidstrom was still the Red Wings best player last season, and it is going to take a lot more than a free agent like Ryan Suter to replace him.

The Red Wings have had many great players down through the years. Ted Lindsay, Terry Sawchuk, Alex Delvecchio -- the list is endless.

But the holy trinity is Mr. Hockey (Gordie Howe), The Captain (Yzerman) and Lidstrom, who lacked the nickname, but he was simply the best defenseman in the NHL for a full generation.

Lidstrom is irreplaceable, and the impact of his departure can't be understated like the brilliance of his play.